Journey to the Guardian Realms
by Iscreamer1
Summary: CHRISTMAS FANIFC :). A parody/spoof of the 1985 film "Return to Oz" featuring characters from "Rise of the Guardians" and others. Emma Overland/Frost journeys to the Worlds of Wonder during a storm only to find the magical kingdom conqured by the wicked Queen Elspeth and King Candy and the dreaded Pitch and Lord Shen, setting out to find the rightful ruler with some new friends.
1. Emma Remembers Jack

**This is the story of _Journey to the Guardian Realms_ based on one of my similarites to _Rise of the Guardians, Return to Oz,_ here's the plot:**

**Summary: Jack Frost's little sister, Emma,**** journeys to the Worlds of Wonder during a storm only to find that the magical kingdom has been conquered by the wicked Pitch, and Lord Shen and the dreaded Queen Elspeth and King Candy, and she sets out with Clara Cluck, (Zazu at some points) WALL-E, EVE, Ventus, Ren, Stimpy and Pedro the plane to find the rightful ruler. **

**(Note: this also features a few deleted scenes from the real Return to Oz movie and much of the context I borrowed from the movie storybook and novel by Joan D. Vinge. Also to clear the misunderstanding of Jack's sister's name being Pippa, which is one of Jamie's friends, her name is Emma because it's one of the most popular/acceptable choices)**

**If you want to know who's playing who, see if you can guess which one is which. Enjoy and please leave a review, but anyway, here's the prologue:**

_Jackson Overland was the greatest boy who ever lived, he wasn't anything like a semi-sadist. He had brown hair, brown eyes and arms and legs that were thin. Still, Jack was a cutie, who cared for his inner and outer beauty. And he lived a place where just about anybody could be in peace-_

_Life in the 18__th__ century was more than just a daydream. A little colonial village just off where the interstate would be. Nothing fancy like Quincy. Just a little road in a little village, far far from the religious persecutions of London. The sweetest, greenest place- where everybody has the same little lawn out front and the same little yard out back. And all the houses are so neat and brown... 'Cause they all look just alike. Jack would dream over his happy life all the time. Just him. And his mother. And a sweet little girl, his little sister, named Emma..._

_He would rake and trim the grass, but he loved to entertain, his mother cooked like the figure in the painting by Bernardo Strozzi and his sister looked like Queen Anne. The furniture was wooden, and even if the inside of the house wasn't neat and clean, the pine scented air made it nice and refreshing._

_Every day they would play hopscotch and between dinner and before bedtime the two siblings would snuggle up to each other with stories… until one December day, had they known best, poor Jack had fallen through a lake of thin ice as the sun set in the west and only his little sister as a witness, but not before telling her that she needed to be brave, no matter how many tricks he played on her, no matter how much she loved him._

* * *

**And thus our story begins:**

The Connecticut sky was clear and full of stars; it was a perfect night for sleeping, but Emma could not close her eyes, a tear leaked from her right one, staring out into the window as her mother slowly came into the bedroom. "Can't you sleep?" she asked and Emma shook her head no. "It's past four o'clock in the morning Emma. Mind if I stay up with you?" Emma nodded and Mrs. Overland began to soothe her face. Emma's eyes were closed peacefully and she asked: "Mother?" "What, precious?" "I wish you could put your head around my eyes so I can go to sleep…like Jack did." "Soon you will."

She kissed her on the cheek and went into the living room where her husband had overheard the whole conversation and was looking at an advertisement clipped from _The Boston News-Letter_. "I can't see paying out any money for this crazy old loon if we don't have any." "Sarah said she'd loan it to us." His wife said firmly. Mr. Overland looked between his brows, "That's charity, Emily." "She's my sister's family. Not charity." Emily said, repeating the words she had gone over in her mind again and again. "Hen, it's been six months since Jack died and Emma hasn't been herself since. I'm taking her to Boston tomorrow and see if she can be healthy, all she ever talks about are some 'guardians' that we can't see if we don't believe them, Santa Claus, Easter Bunny, Sandman and even the Tooth Fairy."

A shining meteorite flashed across the sky, Emma shot up from her bed. "A shooting star, Max." she whispered. "A shooting star." She closed her eyes and eventually went to sleep, dreaming of the more happier times with her long lost brother, thoughts of hopscotch and his own free and selfless spirit.

* * *

The next morning, after a slight scuffle with Max, Emma picked up Clara Cluck with an effort, smoothing her coppery gold feathers. "Did you lay an egg this morning, Clara?" she asked. Clara fixed her with a beady noncommittal stare. "Let's go see." Emma said. Soon they passed Henry who was sitting on the porch. "Good morning Papa." Emma said hesitantly. He glanced up at her; his eyes sharp; but he only nodded slowly in reply. Emma went on to the field just as Henry quietly read to himself a society journal about Emma's life with Jack and how he died from her own words.

In the yard, Emma looked around the hay for the egg. "Where's your egg, Clara?" the chicken simply gave her a reply imitating "I don't know." In another part of the yard, the two were still looking around. "Clara, if you don't start laying again, Mom says she's gonna stew you up for supper." warned Emma, but it wasn't long before they both found something else. "It's a key, Max." she studied the design: "'S' on the thumpiece, sandy gold on the body, a bunny tail on the tip and a real tooth on the teeth." It could mean one thing: "Guardians of Childhood."

Emma rushed over to her mother. "Mama! Mama! Mother, look! A key from the Guardians of Childhood!" Emily gave the key a once over, not looking carefully at the details. "Just the key to the old house before Jack died. I must have turned it a thousand times.'" She turned it again, absently, in an imaginary lock. 'No! What if it could be from him, mother?!' Emma burst out. Her small fingers poked at the thumbpiece. "Look! It's proof! An 'S', a gold body, a bunny tail on the tip and a tooth on the teeth! You think Jack made it fall last night on a shooting star?"

Emily shook her head unhappily. "Emma," she said, quietly but firmly, "'remember how we spoke?" Emma looked down not wanting to say the hateful words. "Not to talk about Jack." "Why?" "Cause he's dead." Emily nodded and sighed deeply as she replied: "I miss Jack, too, honey. And so does your father and everyone else who knew him. But you just haven't had a good night's sleep since he drowned in that lake and then you're no help to me in the morning." Emma protested desperately. "Mom, what if someone is in trouble? I just know it!" Emily just kept on cleaning her clothes. "We're in trouble, Emma. I haven't had any socializing since Jack drowned. Never before have we had to have taxes, now we may have to have two. The fall and winter is coming on and the house doesn't even look right." She looked at her husband on the porch and said: "Henry used to take second place, for nobody." "He broke his leg, mother." Emma replied, but Emily tried to remain being optimistic. "Emma, that leg's mended, you think life was over for him. Now hurry up and get yourself ready, we're gonna be late." Emma watched her mother carry a pail of water into the house; she even wondered where they were going to.

* * *

Max looked out of the house to see Emma and Emily driving away in a wooden wagon of a buggy with only one horse. "Bye, Father." Emma called back and Henry responded. "You all better get yourselves back here by dark!" "We will." replied Emma. Soon the wagon started to move out onto the main road, Max was too shy, he did not want stay, so he jumped from the window and raced out to the dusty road, barking. "Go home, Max! Go home! Max, go home!" Emma cried, but he paid no attention. "Mother," Emma wailed as she turned to her mother with a stricken face. "Will he be alright?" "Henry will take care of him." She turned back to him. "Go home!" and then turned her head back to see what the rest of the day had in store. Emily drove on down the rutted, dusty track, passing up the empty fields and through the borderline state. "I've never been past Vermont before." Emma commented as she saw a sign for the crossroads.

It was an overcast sky when they arrived in Boston, it was at the nearest hospital that served for the passengers of the _Mayflower_ voyage who were ill Emma and Emily arrived at, mother knocked on the door and a stern-faced woman with a red dress and raven hair named Gothel came to answer it. In front of her was the proprietor, a small old man named Maurice. "Oh, hello, you must be Emma?" he asked. The girl nodded slowly. "If you'll come inside we can discuss your troubles."


	2. The Flight in the Storm

"What can I do to make you happy?" said Maurice, looking at the key Emma had showed him. He smiled and Emma looked away, the smile scared her. "Your mother says you have been waking up at night" Maurice said again. "Why?" "I think of my brother, Jack all the time." said Emma. "I want to be loved again, by his warmth." Emma then told how she had dreamed vividly about seeing the Guardians of Childhood and a wonderful place ruled over by The Man in the Moon, a mysterious being. She even told him how close she was with Jack, his tricks, his hopscotching, even his rebellious and somewhat irresponsible life style. She described, "He's five years older than me, a few inches taller than me and has brown hair and brown eyes." Emma closed her eyes, vivdly remembering all the fun and emotional times she had with him. "Where is he now?" Maurice asked, Emily gave her an assuring look. "It was fun for me only… only I lost him." Emma said tearfully. "He fell through thin ice when he tried to save me from the same fate. He even said… to believe in him."

Maurice snapped out of sympathy for five seconds, handed back the key and said "Emma, I think there is one possibility for you to sleep again." He showed her a coal powered machine invented by himself. It looked the same as his wood-cutter, but had the resemblance of a face: eyes, nose and a tongue. "Will it hurt?" asked Emma. "Not at all, my dear," said Maurice. "Just manages the boiler. Your mother already knows that we're at the dawn of a new age. In a few months it will be the year seventeen ten. A new decade! The '1710s! Perhaps a decade of something a little boy named Ben Franklin said something to me called 'electricity'. The brain itself can be a machine." As Maurice went on, Emma turned to the oval mirror, putting her right hand on it, her reflection changed to that of an older boy about seventeen or eighteen years his age, dressed in a white shirt and a brown over coat with brown pants. _"Could it be Jack?"_ Emma thought to herself, and for a moment, he was gone.

Emily kneeled down to her daughter, she was ready to leave because a storm was coming in. "I must get back to Henry before nightfall. You understand don't you?" She handed her a slice of bread. "Here's some bread, I was thinking we'd stay a short time." Gothel choked up on her grip. "That won't be necessary, we have excellent meals here." Emily moved in closer to Emma. "Now be a good girl and do everything the doctor and the head nurse tell you, then I'll be back tomorrow, and we'll go home!" she stood up and said to Maurice. "I've never left her out of my sight among strangers." and Maurice replied. "She's in good hands Mrs. Overland." Emma looked up in a weak voice. "Will you bring Max when you come and get me?" Emily moved in to give Emma a quick hug. "I will, yes of course I will." She kissed her on the forehead and quickly went out the door.

* * *

In the hallway, Gothel took Emma to a quarantine room when passed a kind looking nurse who also had brown hair in ponytail and was dressed in a white uniform; this was Maruice's daughter, Belle, who appeared to be no more than 20. Gothel handed the slice of bread to the young nurse. "You won't need this." She said to Emma, Belle walked away with a guilty look on her face.

Gothel opened the door to where Emma would be staying. The bleak, tiny room had nothing in it but the bed, a dresser, and a straight-backed chair. "You'll stay here 'till we come and get you. You may have a nap if you wish." She left the room. Emma looked around for a moment, then climbing on top of the bed; she looked out the window to see Emily leaving in the wagon as it rolled down the long avenue. A tear came into Emma's eye, and sliding her back down onto the bed, completely sideways; she lowered her head onto the pillow, pulled the covers over her and finally, she broke down, wishing in a quiet voice for the once thing she wanted the most to be with more than anything in the world. "Jack…"

A hand came on her forehead and in front of it she saw a box but could hardly see the person giving it to her as her eyes were blurred from the wet. "This is for you." She let out a sad smile at the box. "Thank you." It will be Christmas again soon." The voice soothed kindly. "I know." Emma responded. After a while the voice said in a tone Emma would recognize. "Why are you here Emma?" Emma turned over facing the wall, letting the person stroke her hair. "Because my brother sacrificed himself to save me from thin ice and because of that I want go to a place I once went to in dreams that only exits if you believe in it." There was a roar of thunder and the figure turned to back away, whispering: "I have to go, I'll come back later." He kissed her on the cheek and this time Emma turned around, only to see a flash of his brown overcoat rush out the door. Emma went to the door and looked out to see Gothel walking down the hall. She closed the door to go back in.

Emma opened up the box, it was a Christmas angel. From the note hanging from the rosary, it read "I will give you rest." She looked out the window for a moment and later turned on a lantern which lit the whole room.

* * *

Emma sat on the bed, it was nighttime, and although part of her was anxious to get it over with, the other half was scared… of the storm outside and the sudden squealing of wheels. The door flew open and there stood Gothel with a gurney/stretcher carried by Belle and another nurse. "Would you like to go for a ride, Emma?" she asked. Emma hesitated a moment and finally got up to the stretcher and sat up. "Lie down." instructed Gothel. "I'd like to sit up, if I may?" Emma asked politely as she knew what would happen. "What did your mother tell you?" "To do what you told me, Miss Gothel," Emma said in a small voice. "Then lie down." Emma obeyed and felt herself quiver as the two nurses began strapping her. "Why do you have to tie me down?" she asked. "So that you don't fall off." Gothel replied flatly. Emma looked at her with quiet defiance. "I came here all the way from the farm on a buggy, and I didn't fall off." The nurses began carrying Emma down the hall when she heard a moan. "Did I hear somebody scream over there?" Emma asked. "No," Gothel snapped. Emma, facing backward and unable to move, looked up at the ceilings that passed by her.

The hospital ward was sparsely populated by Maurice and several other patients, by the time Emma had been placed in the vacant bed, Maurice was standing above her, peering down at her with his cryptic smile. "Hello, Emma, how are you?" "I wish I wasn't tied down." Emma said frankly. Maurice patted her on the head, "Nothing to worry about." he assured. Emma looked to see Gothel with a pair of earmuffs. "What are those?" she asked. Maurice looked at the earmuffs, "Oh, when you're ready we'll just put these over your ears and pretty soon they'll draw all of those unpleasant dreams out of your head. Then when you wake up you'll never be bothered by them again." He stepped back, ready to test the steam powered machine. "Testing. On. Off." With a surge of steam coming from the machine, Maurice checked the dial. "I think we are almost ready." He wound up the dial and all Emma could hear was a ticking noise. Pulling the voltage lever on the machine, Maurice adjusted the strength of current, whereupon the lights on its face began to pulsate, slowly at first, and then more rapidly. 'Ready?' he asked. 'Yes, doctor,' Gothel answered.

Emma bit her lip as Maurice reached for the switch. A blinding flash of lightning lit up the room like a flare; an ear-splitting crash of thunder shook the house to its foundations. And with a gust of wind blowing out the lights, blackness and silence followed. "Oh damn." Maurice cursed. Gothel gave a little light on the situation. "I'll see to that. You check the generator, Doctor." Emma heard their footsteps fade as the two of them left her alone in the darkness.

* * *

But then she was not alone. Someone moved beside her and the earmuffs came off. "Who's there?" Emma asked. Lightning flashed again. Emma saw the tall brown haired boy who had brought her the Christmas angel. "Quick." said the older boy. "We have to get away!" He undid the straps that held Emma. Then he and Emma fled out of the room and down the hall. They were downstairs at the front door when the lights came on again and Emma glimpsed Gothel behind them. Then she and the boy were out the door racing down the steps and across the lawn.

They plunged into the woods that rimmed the placed, and they fell, rolling and tumbling down a steep slope. Suddenly the ground dropped out from under them. Then they plunged into water – black, angry, swift-running water. Emma went under, then came up choking and caught at something. It was a crate that had been swept into the river. Emma clung to it. For a moment she saw the boy being carried along by the flood. Recognizing his face now similar to Jack, her dearly departed brother, the boy vanished. Emma was alone, clinging to the crate and riding the stream wherever it would take her.


	3. Worlds of Wonder and the Ruined Road

In the morning, Emma was sleeping in the crate floating on a glassy ocean; she woke to the sound of a clucking hen. 'What's that?' she cried, startled into speaking aloud. "I was just trying to lay my egg, that's all," a scratchy, high-pitched voice replied, quite distinctly. It was just the sort of voice she would have expected a chicken to have, if chickens could talk, that is. Emma looked around, the older boy was gone and she was now in the company of an anthropomorphized hen with a bonnet. "Clara?" she asked, surprised. "Who else?" the hen presented herself. "What are you doing here? Have you been here all night, too?" Clara flapped her wings and yawned. "I've never been so wet in my whole life," she muttered irritably, ignoring the questions in favor of her own discomfort. "How big is this pond, anyway?" "I don't think it's a pond, Clara."

Emma looked around to see the ocean surrounding her. "It looks more like an ocean." "I would have thought so." Clara said. Emma noticed something in the distance. "I wonder where we are." Clara was shocked. "Where did Connecticut go?" Suddenly Emma knew where she was, she had seen the silvery ocean before. Clara also took a look at the view. "Some place for a chicken coop." Clara grumped. Emma turned to her. 'Where did you learn to talk, anyway? I thought hens could only cluck and cackle. . 'Strange, isn't it? Clara cocked her head. 'How's my grammar? Emma took it less seriously. "If we were in the Realm of the Guardians of Childhood, your talking wouldn't be strange at all. But out here we must be a long way from the North Pole." Clara fluttered up to the railing of the coop and looked down. "There goes the tide." As so, the tide was slowly coming down, revealing a group of rocks, stones and a sandy shore. "High and dry." Clara announced with triumph as Emma had the strangest epiphany.

"Guardians ..." Emma whispered, as her own words suddenly struck her. She put her hand into her pocket, feeling for the key. "Maybe this is the world of the guardians!" Had her brother found a way to bring her out of the real world after all? He had sent her a sign. . . and Clara had found it. ... "World of the Guardians?" Clara sounded perplexed. "It's a land I went to in my dreams. It inhabitants include Santa Claus, Sandman, the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy. " Clara felt fine about it. "Well, I think I'll have a look around and see if I can find some breakfast. Seeing the hen's surly backward glance, Emma said hastily, "Wait! If we are in the Worlds of Wonder . . . then this is the Sea of Acid." "Sea of…Acid?" "It surrounds the Worlds of Wonder," Emma said. "If you touch the water, you'll probably burn up." "Just my luck." Clara grumbled, Emma began to walk on a stone and helped Clara out of the crate. "If we stay on these stones we'll be alright." Emma and Clara walked from one stone to another with great care. Behind her, a hornbill that was sleeping on a rock opened one eye. It watched in silence as the girl and chicken continued on. After one final jump onto the shore, Emma put Clara down with a sigh of relief. "Now, let's go over to those trees and see if we can find some fruit or nuts or something for lunch." She realized she had not eaten for a long time and Clara wondered. "What happened to breakfast?" Emma ignored her and she began to climb the hill. "After we've had a bit to eat, we'll go on to the North Pole and see Santa Claus." The hornbill, Zazu, eyed the girl left and right before flying away to see another pair of eyes staring back at him… "Santa Claus?" clucked Clara. "It's not even Christmas yet." 'He's the leader of the Guardians, Clara!' Emma said proudly. When she dreamed of being in the Worlds of Wonder the first time, she had met many strange people who had become her friends — and foes — before she woke up again.

* * *

Breakfast was no problem. Some of the trees in the forest had apples, oranges, pears and all sorts of fruit that grew on them and Emma said. "Now I know where in the Worlds of Wonder!" Clara gazed up at the fruit trees critically from beside Emma's feet. "Make sure you don't pick a green one." The hen instructed. "There are some ripe ones." said Emma as she picked a red juicy apple as easily as she would have picked a berry back home. Using some of the bread she saved, Emma made herself an apple sandwich and also carried with her a sponge cake she had saved for dessert.

"Glad it wasn't fried chicken." Clara said to herself, satisfied with the food she just ate, Emma had a more focused subject. "Oh, Clara, we're in the land of my dreams! Except this is real. Now you'll see everything I was talking about that nobody would believe The Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy, the Sandman and Santa Claus!" Zazu was watching the whole thing with a happy/romantic smile on face, but not before noticing the same pair of eyes he had seen earlier.

Deep beneath the surface of the Worlds of Wonder, in an underworld of vast, hidden caverns, the putty-face of the mischievous Creeper that was urgent but frightened, "Your Majesty ... she has come to our land!" As a sudden burst of smoke and steam rose from the cavern's depths, two deep, amorphous voices, which seemed to come from the shadows of a shadowy man and a peacock, muttered, "Good . . . good . . . keep an eye on her." The face of another messenger, a wolf, who was allied to the peacock, had a worried look on his face. "Well, what's the matter, what is it?" The peacock demanded. The wolf finally spoke the truth. "She has a… chicken and that hornbill with her." His master boomed. "_**THE CHICKEN AND A HORNBILL?!**__"_

* * *

In a forest, Emma and Clara were walking around. Emma had picked up a few extra snacks in case they got hungry. "Well . . . where is everybody?" Clara asked suddenly, the very question she had waiting when they got there. Emma tugged on a lock of her hair. "This world is pretty big . . . maybe they're off doing something." "I don't like it," Clara complained irritably as Emma saw something in sight. There sat the old cottage of a woodcutter, covered with vines and creepers, one corner driven into the earth as if it had been hurled here by some giant — just where it had been built.

"Clara!" Emma cried. "This looks like a hermit's house! The one who had been blown in a tornado. This where I first came here in my dreams." "Sounded like it was a rough trip." Clara commented. Emma looked into the window, the occupant was not there except for all of the furniture and knick-knacks. "Clara, this could be the bedroom, and over there is the kitchen…" she turned over at a storm cellar. "That's where anybody would land on a wicked witch." She pointed at the door and Clara gulped "Wicked Witch?" "But where are all the elves?"

Emma slowly turned around ignoring Clara's later comment. "What are you on about, my dear?" to see a road. "Oh my…" she said, looking over at a brick pavement. "It's just a yellow brick. . . ." Clara said, ruffling her feathers in a very human shrug. But Emma dropped the brick, not even hearing her, and began to run forward, stumbling along the road. "No, Clara, you don't understand. This looks like a road from my dreams. It leads to the Silver City of Amarganth!" Then she and Clara started for the Silver City. Emma wondered what they would find when they got there.

Later, deep beneath the ground, the Creeper reported to his master. "Your Majesty. They have discovered the long road and are on their way to the Silver City of Amarganth," the creeper reported dutifully. The voice chuckled. "Good. They won't get past Elspeth."


	4. The City, Lemons, Robots and the Queen

Emma finally came to the end of the road and saw a great metropolis ahead in nothing but silver and grey buildings, Clara had caught up with Emma and she showed her the sight. "Well, Clara, that is the Silver City of Amarganth."

They found it abandoned. The beautiful towers were silent. The splendid walls were hollow. There were no jewels anywhere, and the wind swirled in the streets. The place was beginning to look a lot like the ruins of Pompeii. Emma did see some people, but they were statues, with each person in the position representing his or her own personality. "Not moving very fast, aren't they?" said Clara observing a statue of a woman poised like a storyteller, to which Emma replied. "Looks like they're all made of stone." "We came all this way to see a bunch of stiffs." complained Clara. Emma stopped to read a sign scrawled in hasty, sprawling letters on the remains of a wall, "beware . . . the ... Lemons." "A fruit?" Clara asked. Emma shook her head. "I don't remember them." There were more strange beings in the Worlds of Wonder than she had ever imagined existed; but Lemons were not among the ones she had seen before. At the gate, they saw a circle of headless maidens, frozen in dance positions. "Look, Clara, these ones have lost they're heads." Emma pointed out. "Now that's what I call just playing carelessness." replied Clara

Emma looked around heard Clara clucking in terror. "Emma, look out!" she screamed. Emma saw the threatening sight was the statue of Bunnymund, posed like a Greek hero, a staff swung behind his back, ready to strike. "It's the Easter Bunny." Emma recognized. "Bunnymund what's happened to you? What's happened to everybody?" Zazu watched thing from above and flew over, guiding Emma to a fountain containing a statue of the Sandman squirting out water and a sculpture of the Tooth Fairy in a flying position with all of her other fairies. Emma hugged them both "Oh Tooth, Sandy, what's happened to you two?"

A face moved — and from behind the statue, with a faint squeal, glided the most bizarre being she had ever seen, even in the Worlds of Wonder. He had the form of a stumpy automobile, was light blue, had a monocle, and rolled — on all four wheels. The boss was Professor Zundapp, a German-accented car with an agenda for villainy. "Aah! A Lemon!" shrieked Clara, she and Emma raced down the streets and dodged into an ally where they had to stop at a blank wall. "Got you!" shrilled Professor Z. "Trapped!"

There was a door in the wall, but it was locked. Emma yanked at the door. "The key, the key!" Clara whispered. Emma took the key from her pocket, opened the door and slammed it into the Lemons faces. "You'll have to come out sooner or later." One of the Lemons, Grem howled outside. "Yeah!" put in Acer. "and when you do, we shall run you over and dump you in the Sea of Acid!" Emma put the key back in her pocket. "We haven't done anything to you!" she cried. "You stole one of our fruits!" scolded Vladimir, the toughest Trunkov of the pack. "That's forbidden, unless you have our permission. And you have a hen in there with as well as that hornbill, Zazu. Pitch Black and Lord Shen do not allow these kinds of bird anywhere in Amarganth!" "Who's Pitch Black and Lord Shen?" Emma asked. "They are the new rulers of the Worlds of Wonder!" Victor Hugo cried. The Lemons laughed and laughed, then they all went away. Emma watched them go, unable to take her gaze from the keyhole. "Well, what are we going to do now, Emma?" Clara echoed her statement.

* * *

Emma trembled and backed away from the door. Then she turned and saw a white probe looking robot and a brown-yellow robot. They sat in a corner, and they looked as lifeless as everything else in the city. Fastened to the metal persons were plates proclaiming that these were the Royal Army of Amarganth. "Are they the whole army," said Clara to Zazu who had snuck in during the escape, "or just two of the soldiers?"

Emma looked at the back of the robots. She found metal plates with inscriptions. "For thinking," read Emma, "press Number 1 under left arm. For speaking press Number 2 under right arm. For walking and action, press Number 3 in the back. Guaranteed to work perfectly for a thousand years." "Do you believe that?" asked Clara. "This is the Worlds of Wonder." said Emma. "It could be true." She pressed the buttons under their left arms. The two robots began to tick. "They're thinking." said Emma, "I'll press their speech so he can tell us what they thinking about. Maybe they could tell us more about what happened to the Silver City." She pressed both of the buttons under the right arms.

Both robots were activated. "Oh, good morning, little girl." said the white robot. "Are you Emma Overland?" "Yes." said Emma, remembering her manners. "Pleased to meet you." replied the white probe. "I am EVE and this is WALL-E." "Hi." squeaked the brownish robot. EVE continued, "His Majesty, Nicholas St. North, locked us in here and told me to wait for you." "What happened to the Silver City and where is Mr. North?" asked Emma. "I don't know." said WALL-E. "Everything was fine but they began to turn to stone," EVE continued for WALL-E. "When he did not come, we called for help until our voice ran down, then we paced back and forth until our action ran down. Then we stood and thought until our thought ran down." WALL-E blinked his eyes. "After that we remember nothing until you re-activated us. Thank you. Now where did you find the key?"

"You're very welcome." Emma said, trying to appear as grown-up and confident as the situation seemed to require. "It was my friend Clara Cluck and the hornbill who found the key to this place." "Clara Cluck?" the WALL-E asked, rolling his eyes and trying to see more of the place. "Over here." The two birds said. "Good morning, Zazu, Mrs. Hen," EVE said formally. "Where did you find the key to this place?" "Over near the hog trough in Burgess," Clara volunteered. "Burgess?" WALL-E murmured, nonplussed. "In Connecticut." answered Emma. "Connecticut?" EVE questioned. "North must have sent it to you somehow."

"If you don't mind, Mrs. EVE, I'll activate your action." EVE smiled. "That would please me and WALL-E very much and you may simply call us just WALL-E and EVE." Emma went on to pressing WALL-E and EVE's action buttons. Zazu perked up. "Why weren't you turned to stone just like everybody else?" "Because…." EVE answered. "We are not alive, and never will be thank goodness." "Well, WALL-E, EVE," Emma began. "The first thing we have to do is to escape from the Lemons. They're outside and said they are going to throw us into the Sea of Acid." WALL-E and EVE bowed and curtsied. "From now on." EVE said. "WALL-E and I will be your most obedient servants, if can keep us activated that is. Make sure our think works are extra tight and we will formulate a plan."

* * *

WALL-E slowly peaked outside, the alley was empty. "These Lemons can be very tricky customers." said Eve readying her arm gun. Fully prepared, the two robots and the two birds in the arms of the girl walked out the alley way in a marching stance. When they got outside; WALL-E looked out at the empty spaces. "Oh, my goodness. . . ." he murmured, words failing him. Even though he was a machine, he was completely devoted to his wife and the Worlds of Wonder, and he could not help but share its loss. They continued on toward the square, descending the wide, vine-traced steps when the Lemons surrounded them.

"You run up the stairs." EVE instructed to Emma, Zazu and Clara. "We will take care of them." The two birds and one girl did so and WALL-E began to flail at the Lemons with his hands and EVE shoot a some of them with her plasma gun.

The Lemons fled, but Professor Zundapp was left struggling in WALL-E's grasp. "You will be sorry for treating me like this!" yelled the professor, but EVE gave him a mock reply. "I am only a machine, so I can't not be sorry or happy whatever happens." "Where's North?" said Emma. "And what's happened to the Silver City?" "Pitch Black and Lord Shen, they conquered Amarganth, took all the jewels and turned everyone to stone." "What about North?" Emma asked. Professor Z laughed. "There's only one person who knows where Nicholas St. North is… and that is King Candy and, er, Princess, er, Princess…er, no, um, Queen Elspeth!" "Queen Elspeth?" squeaked Clara. "I don't remember her." said Emma. "They helped Shen and Pitch take over the Worlds of Wonder," said the professor. "so they made her and Candy a king and queen and gave them the Silver City." "Take us to Elspeth and Candy!" exclaimed EVE.

* * *

Professor Z pointed to the palace where Elspeth and Candy lived and Emma knocked on the door. It was a huge building that had once glittered with jewels. Now it was decorated with candy of all sorts. "Behave yourself now." EVE told Professor Z as he rolled away as fast as he could. "I'll be off-! Ha, ha, ha! You behave!"

Emma turned to the handle and went inside. WALL-E and EVE followed and Clara and Zazu kept close to her knees. Though the palace was studied with candy on the outside, inside it was beautiful and filled with music. Emma, WALL-E, EVE, Clara and Zazu came to a chamber that had mirrors from ceiling to floor. A short man with a pink nose sat next to a golden haired woman wearing a blue dress. She did not look up at them, but sat playing a gentle melody on her mandolin. "Pardon me." Said Emma politely. "Are you Queen Elspeth and King Candy?" The golden haired woman stopped playing and held out a hand to Emma. "Help us to rise." she said. Emma helped her and King Candy to their feet obediently; and Elspeth thought to herself. "I think I'll put on something more appropriate. Come with me and my husband. Your friends can stay here."

Elspeth and Candy led Emma through a sleeping chamber with a crystal bed to a cabinet of 30 beautiful girls and women in repose. One of them was empty. "I think Number 4 will do for this afternoon, what do you think, my coated king?" asked Elspeth to her husband. "Anything you say, muffin queen." King Candy responded. Elspeth positioned her form Number 27 (Aurora) and a spirit of a woman came out of the body and into the body of a dark skinned woman wearing a sparkling blue dress named Tiana. "What do you think?" said Elspeth/Tiana said to Emma. "It's very beautiful." said Emma. King Candy chuckled. "I should hope so, little girl. Who are you?" "I'm Emma Overland." "Emma Overland?" asked Queen Elspeth. "Do you know what happened to Santa Claus?" Emma said. "You mean Nicholas St. North?" said King Candy. "Come nearer to us."

"Santa Claus, as you prefer, or Nicholas St. North is the prisoner of Lord Shen and Pitch Black. He took all the jewels back to his mountain, turning everyone into statues." said the Queen. "You will be rather attractive one day. Not at all beautiful you understand, but you have a certain prettiness, different from my other forms. I believe I'll take your head and then I'll give you Number 26 for it."

"I believe you will not!" Emma pulled back, but the King and Queen seized her by the wrist and dragged her to the mirror room. WALL-E and EVE charged, however they stopped at the entrance. "My action!" EVE cried. "We've run down!" The Queen laughed in a rather horrid sound, but Clara and Zazu flew at her. "You let her go!" squawked Zazu. "I'll have this one with fries on the side for breakfast!" shrieked the Queen. She held Emma in one hand and Clara and Zazu in the other. "Looks like you'll both have to stay in the tower for a few years until you are ready." said the King.

They opened a wall and dragged Emma, Clara and Zazu up a flight of stairs. "What will you do with WALL-E and EVE?" asked Emma, and the Queen shouted back. "Even if they won't tick, Candy and I will have a new statue." They were thrust into a dim, dusty room and the door slammed on them. A lock was dropped into place to secure the door from the outside. Then Elspeth and Candy clattered away.

* * *

**Author's Note: In case some of you haven't noticed, Queen Elspeth is from the 2001 version of Snow White. (dubbed Snow White: Fairest of Them All)**


	5. The Flight of Pedro and the Sleigh

There was a window at the end of the tower room. Emma looked out of it and saw, beyond the Sea of Acid was the domain of Lord Shen and Pitch Black. "Lord Shen and Pitch's mountain." muttered Emma, knowing North would be there. "If this is the Worlds of Wonder, Emma," said Clara. "I'd rather take my chances back in Burgess." Emma felt a pang of longing pierce her own heart as she thought of home. "Oh, Clara, I wish I could just fly away like you." She wept. "Only in my younger days my dear." The hen shook her head sadly. Emma turned back at last looking around the room, As she did, her wandering eyes found an enormous painting. In the portrait were five figures as familiar to her as her mother and father: The Sandman, smiling benignly. Tooth with a girlish figure. Bunnymund standing triumphant, North with his arms crossed and a familiar figure with white hair resembling her brother.

"Hello?" said someone in the corner. Emma jumped to see a spiky blonde haired pre-teen with a red stout dog and a skinny tan Chihuahua. Someone had thrown them against the wall and left them in a heap. "Brother, is that you?" said the boy. Emma moved closer. "Nope. I'm Emma Overland." "For second there," the boy said sadly. "I thought brother came back." "Who are these?" asked Clara "A boy and two dogs?" "A Chihuahua and a cat if you please." said the boy. "My name's Ventus, but you can call me Ven. How's my head?" "Very fine." Emma said. "Thank you." said Ven "I was afraid of spoiling before I've seen anything in the world. I thought I could scare that witch Elspeth and her husband, so I stood in a place where she could meet me face to face. Along she came, sure enough she was scared, but then she was angry. She has a terrible temper."

"I know," uttered Emma. "But exactly, where did she get all those different forms." "Did you see those headless statues outside. Anyway, she was about to destroy me with her stick-" Ven rattled on, lost in his few memories, as Emma finished helping him up. — when she decided to test some of the Marvelous Powder of Life she had just bought from a magician. She did. It worked.' Ven climbed carefully to his feet. 'And here I am.' Standing on his legs, Emma spoke. "Powder of Life?" "You sprinkle it on something, and the thing comes to life," Ven explained. "Does Elspeth have any more of it?" Emma asked. "If she does," Ven went on. "It's in Cabinet 31, with her original body."

Zazu felt something. "What happened to your brother?" he asked, half in sympathy and half out of suspicion. Ven let out a tiny sob as Emma looked around the room to see a red airplane and a sleigh. "He vanished. I think Elspeth enchanted him. After that, she threw us in this corner and said she was going to make a pie of me." Clara clucked sympathetically, remembering Elspeth's similar threat about herself. "But she was wearing Body Twenty-two at the time," Ven went on, "and I don't think she's been in that body since because she hasn't remembered I'm up here." Emma interrupted "I think I know what we have to do."

* * *

Ven squeezed his left hand through the door and removed the lock. They went down to the throne room where WALL-E and EVE were still standing. They crept towards the dormant robots when Ven, his reedy voice full of yearning and sounded surprisingly shy as he whispered, "May I call you sister, even if it's not so?" Emma looked up at him in surprise, then made a big smile and nodded. Emma whispered in WALL-E's ear. "WALL-E, EVE? Are you asleep? Don't say anything. This is Ventus, Ren and Stimpy. After I've finished reactivating you, go upstairs and he'll explain."

WALL-E, EVE and Ventus walked back up the staircase. "Did you understand all that, EVE?" asked Ven. "I understood it perfectly." the probe replied.

Emma entered the bedroom, King Candy was already asleep, with a ruby key on his left wrist.

In the tower, WALL-E and EVE were pulling out North's sleigh. "Good," instructed EVE. "Now go and get the plane, Ventus. Clara, where that's cord?" "Over here." replied the hen, Zazu saw the little red airplane and asked. "What's that?" "A little red plane I'd like to call 'Pedro'."

In the bedroom, Emma snuck up to the snoring King Candy who was wearing a sleep mask. She carefully untied the ruby key and started for the body cabinets which were all asleep.

In the tower, Ventus found himself another antique. "Here's' a broom, EVE, I think it will make the sleigh more unique." "Excellent." said EVE. "Now we must gump the plane in the front and tie Ven's feet together." Ven did so and tripped. "That's it Ven. Left, right, wrong!" the probe danced with giddiness. "What are you talking about, EVE?" asked Ventus nervously. WALL-E made a little ditty. "Little girls' pumpkin heads make chicken fly the coop!" "Coop?" Clara was stunned.

* * *

Emma pushed the ruby key into the lock of Cabinet 31, staring into the anxious eyes of her own reflection. She turned the key slowly — and suddenly heard a loud click in the silence. Biting her lip, Emma pulled open the door. She gasped in sudden surprise to see an auburn haired woman sleeping while standing up, the face was every bit as cruel as the faces of the other evil witches she had seen in her dreams. Behind it was labeled, in very clear letters: POWDER OF LIFE. Emma glanced anxiously over her shoulder toward the bedroom. She saw nothing ... But as she touched the can, her nervous fingers bumped into the box behind it. The box tumbled. But Emma snatched the box of powder from the cabinet with a desperate lightning grab. The body began to wail in maddened frustration, screaming, "You're a thief giiiiirrrrrl!" Emma stood frozen for a moment that seemed as long as the hallway itself and since King Candy was still wearing the sleep mask, he couldn't see Emma, who was running in the opposite direction.

Emma ran across the throne room, Elspeth's voice echoing throughout the chamber. "Nobody fools me…! Nobody gets away from Queen Elsepth…!" Just when she thought she couldn't find the door. "_Jack?_" a figure that almost looked like her brother (but with white hair) appeared in the mirror for a moment then disappeared. Emma went to the same door just as Elspeth shouted. "Where's my Powder of Life?!"

* * *

Emma ran up the staircase to the tower room. "Elspeth and Candy are awake!" "Uh-oh." squirmed Stimpy. "It doesn't look finished." Emma exclaimed. She looked at Clara and Zazu, who were flapping their useless wings in frustration. "WALL-E and EVE went berserk!" Clara squawked accusingly. As EVE turned her back, Emma saw that Button Number 3 was no longer activated beneath their arms. "Their brains ran down!" Emma cried. Ventus was confused. "If his brains ran down, how could he talk?" Emma glanced up. "It happens to people all the time, Ven. Tie the ropes to the sleigh, Clara help him!" Zazu shrieked "Oh my god, now we're gonna need another cord!" By now Emma ad finished reactivating WALL-E and EVE's brains. "Thank goodness," EVE swiveled her head to look at her, WALL-E's right eye twitching. "I'm all right now!" Emma pointed to the door. "Go to the door and look out for Elspeth and Candy."

She ran over to the little red airplane, pulled open the tin box, and sprinkled the wings with the Powder of Life. "Make sure you do the face," Ven said anxiously. "So it can see where it's going." The magic powder glittered in the air like a field over the face but nothing happened. "It's not working!" "There must have been some magic words." thought Ven. "What are they?" shouted Emma. "Think! You've got to remember!" "I was too young then, how can I remember?" "Read the directions, Emma," squawked Clara. Emma did so. "Oh, I don't know these words!" "Read them anyway!" Ven said, not seeing what difference it made. Emma wrapped her tongue around the strange sounds and began to read them as best she could: "Weaugh . . . Teaugh… Peaugh!" Emma finished at last, and took a deep breath. Pedro's glazed blue eyes suddenly widened, and rolled from side to side. "Peaugh?" he echoed. Emma cheered for joy.

Little did they know that Candy had gotten Elspeth's original body out from the cabinet. "I'll stop you!" her words echoed through the palace. "She is coming!" cried WALL-E. Emma sprang into action. "WALL-E, EVE get aboard. Clara get in!" "Wait for me!" cried Zazu. "Can you flap your wings?" asked Emma to Pedro. "I don't have any wings." the little plane stated as he saw he had some. "But now it looks like I do!" They were all on board just as Elspeth and Candy open the door. "So!" they cried. Emma screamed "Fly! Fly!" Pedro used all of his might to pull the heavy sleigh. It fell from the balcony but lifted up again and at last they flew on toward freedom.

In front of the castle steps, the Lemons were sleeping. Elspeth and Candy kicked them awake with vicious spite, her fury doubling as she saw them lying peacefully asleep when her very life was at stake — when they should have been alert and on guard for a disaster like this. The Lemons woke, whining in pitiful confusion, their red-ringed eyes wild and staring. "WAKE UP! Wake up all of you! GET UP! Get up and help us, look!" Elspeth pointed at the sleigh. "The thief girl is escaping. Get them back for me! Go on and make sure you bring back that chicken and the hornbill! Don't come back without them!"

* * *

In the air, Pedro was telling the story of his life. "The last thing I remember is flying through the forest with my friend Dusty Crophopper and hearing a loud noise," he said. "And now here I am, flying through the air. Where am I, anyway?" Emma felt a strange mixture of dismay and confusion fill her head. "You're just the plane pulling North's sleigh. We brought you back to life to you can take us to Lord Shen and Pitch Black to rescue North." Pedro chuckled. "I may not last very long while pulling this sleigh. It feels rather tight." Ren whimpered. "Please don't say that!" Clara looked over and down beside him. "How do we know when to land? It's all so dark down there.'" "Lord Shen's mountain was straight ahead ... I think," Emma said, suddenly uncertain about that, too. EVE put a hand to her head. I have been thinking, and it seems to me that the only thing to do is to keep flying until dawn. Then maybe we can find a safe place to land." "Good idea, EVE" said Ventus, then he called to Pedro. "Pedro, can't you just keep flying straight ahead?" "I don't think I could turn if I wanted to," Pedro remarked, his voice as doleful as before.

"Why don't we just go back to Connecticut?" Clara mumbled as she tucked her head beneath her wing. Emma curled up in a corner of the sleigh, and sighed. "Well, whatever happens," she said, her voice fading, "I'm awfully sleepy right now — and just glad that I have my own head to be sleepy with." Ven put his black and white jacket over Emma like a blanket. "Good night, Emma," Ven whispered, but it wasn't his voice. It was the voice of someone Emma knew too well. "Good night, Jack," she murmured, drifting away on a tide of sleep.

* * *

Back at the palace, Elspeth was serenading Candy with her mandolin. They had everything they had ever wanted — even beauty. Elspeth had spent her whole life trying to reach this position of absolute luxury and power — and she was not going to let a little girl and a chicken ruin it for her. She saw the figure in the mirror Emma had seen earlier…Jackson Overland himself. "Elspeth, don't force me into this dreadful plot." Jack pleaded. "I'll do anything you ask: work for you, slave for you. Just please…" Tears came into his eyes. "Just let me see my little sister again." Elspeth snickered. "Jack Frost, you're a fool. Nobody's going to help you. Nobody knows where you are." Candy strummed a few of the mandolin's strings. "There is nobody left who even knows who you are." he added, Jack glared. "My little sister believes in me." "Who is your sister?" Candy asked with a love-struck look on his face. "I'd like to meet her." Elspeth's eyes squinted, and suddenly realized. "That girl…." A while later after Elspeth and Candy had gone, Jack slid silently to the floor and whispered. "Good night, Emma." and somewhere a while back, he could almost hear his little sister whisper in response. "_Good night,_ _Jack.__"_

* * *

In the forests down below, the Lemons, with Professor Z at the lead were catching up to the sleigh. Ventus looked down. "What are they?" he asked. "Lemons." WALL-E muttered as if there was nothing wrong. The Lemons were down there and they were up here, there was no way the cars who ruled the road would be able to get them from that high. "Can't you fly any faster?" Ven called to Pedro. "Not unless one of you wants to jump off." replied Pedro. As Ren and Stimpy looked for some way to lighten the load Pedro looked down: Below him now he suddenly saw the end of the vast forest over which they had been flying — and beyond it, gleaming like silver in the moonlight, a vast, empty plain: the Sea of Acid. The Lemons also saw it, but seven of them could not stop in time and fell into the water. Not even Ivan, their strongest tow truck would be able to help them out now.

Professor Z shook his wheels at the sky in useless fury, as their supposedly easy quarry, who had already humiliated him once. Ven, Ren, Stimpy, WALL-E and EVE looked out and down as the Lemon's cries faded unexpectedly behind them. "We're over the Sea of Acid." EVE announced. They looked up at each other, their expressions upbeat. Unfortunately, the ropes that held Pedro and the sleigh together had begun to fray. Pedro flew on toward morning, as unaware of the impending disaster as his passengers.


	6. Pitch and Shen's Mountain

Emma woke with a start as she was thrown backward in the sleigh's seat. "Emma! Wake up!" Ventus shouted, somewhere out of her view. The sleigh tilted wildly in the other direction and Emma clung to its back to keep from falling. "What's happening?" she asked. "The ropes are breaking!" replied EVE "Oh no!" screamed Clara. "I knew it! We're gonna fall apart!" Pedro shouted against the din. "The rope on the other side!" "I'll get it!" Ven shouted, but he fell overboard into the long sky. "Fly down," shouted Emma. "Ven's fell over the side! We'll save you Ven!" "All right," shrugged Pedro. "I'm sure I know how do this." They flew down towards where Ven was falling. "Are you alright?" asked Emma. "I feel dizzy." moaned Ven as Emma carried him back into the sleigh. "Too heavy!" shouted WALL-E, who was holding onto the ropes. Clara flew down over the side of the sleigh and landed on the sofa's arm. She began to peck fiercely at the cord which still bound the sleigh to Pedro. The cord began to unravel and fray; with a final peck she severed it completely. The cord snapped apart, and the ornate sleigh and little Pedro tumbled away out of the sky.

Zazu leaped into the air, fluttering his stumpy wings. "Abandon ship!" he shrieked, as the sleigh parted beneath them. Pedro and the sleigh began to fall, piecemeal, out from under them. Abruptly they were all falling, separately but together — WALL-E and EVE with arms flailing; Clara and Zazu, still flapping; Ren and Stimpy; Ventus, slipping out of Emma's arms and Pedro was out of gas. "If I had a stomach," he compiled. "I know I'd be sick!" Emma and Ven tried to hold on to each other. "I'm sorry, sis." "It's alright, Ven, it can't be helped now!"

The sleigh fell on a mountain of snow and ice and the some of the ropes fell over the side of the cliff. Emma landed in the sleigh, followed by Ventus, WALL-E and EVE, who had crashed into a hollow spot, then Pedro, Ren, Stimpy and finally Clara and Zazu. "That was a novel experience," Pedro said blandly, speaking for them all in something of an understatement. The rest of the exhausted band looked around to see a voice shouting "Pick me up!" it belonged to EVE, Emma helped her and WALL-E up. "Ventus, Ren, Stimpy, are you all right?" Stimpy was upside down with Ren on his bottom head up like poker card. "Why are all of you standing on your heads?" asked Stimpy, but Clara quipped. "Where are we anyway?" Emma locked up at the landscape, then the sea that surrounded it.

"Pitch and Lord Shen's mountain." she announced. "Well," Stimpy said, a bit huffily, "it seems to me that you are upside down instead, along with everything else in this strange country." "Let me help you." said Emma who was just about to turn Stimpy right side up when Clara remembered something. "Didn't that Lemon Professor Z say something about Pitch Black and Lord Shen not liking chickens?" she asked, Emma stopped in her tracks, it back to her in a flash. "Oh yes," Emma said in realization. "What should we do with Clara and Zazu?"

* * *

Meanwhile, in the hideaway. "Yes, my lord? You called?" replied the Creeper. "What is that noise going on up there?" asked Lord Shen. The wolf bit his lip. "I don't know, sir." Pitch gave him a frightening expression. "Well, find _OUT!_"

"What about Pedro?" asked Ventus to the others. "The sleigh's all in pieces." "I was much happier without it, thank you very much." said Pedro, Emma looked back at the sleigh. "I think we should turn it backwards." she said. "Then at least he can pull it." "Every sleigh must be pulled by a proper animal if it expects to get around." said EVE. "Should've quit when I had the chance." Pedro sighed.

The wolf and the Creeper who had been watching, gave their report in a hoarse whisper, as if they wished they did not have to speak the words at all. " . . . She escaped from Elspeth somehow and crossed the Sea of Acid. Now she is on our mountain with a small army." "She is more powerful than I thought." said Lord Shen. Pitch turned to the wolf, "What about the chicken and the hornbill?" The wolf gave a sly look. "There are no signs of the chicken and the hornbill."

* * *

Emma, EVE and Ventus helped to re-tie the sleigh on Pedro. "This is terrible." He groaned. "I was much happier without it if you get the chance to meet another plane." "I don't think we'll find another plane here." Emma said just as Pitch and Shen appeared in the form of a statue, their voices echoing through the cliff. "Tell us who you are and why you have come all the way to our kingdom and what we can do to make you happy." "It must be Pitch and Lord Shen." EVE recognized. "Where is he?" asked Ventus who was sometimes a bit naive. "I don't see anybody." Emma bravely announced. "My name is Emma Overland, you majesties. And these are my friends WALL-E, EVE, Ventus, Ren, Stimpy and Pedro." Clara and Zazu were nowhere to be seen, the clever hen had literally shrunk with fear and hid in Ventus' jacket while Zazu hid, in all places, Stimpy's mouth. "Not the Emma Overland from Connecticut." said Lord Shen in feigned surprise. "Yes, your majesty. We've come to ask you to release Nicholas St. North and restore the Silver City of Amarganth." "You believe," said Lord Shen. "that we have stolen something, Emma you think that right thing to do is to give it back." "But what if they don't want to give it back?" Pitch cut in. Emma raised her voice. "Then we are here with our army to conquer you and force you to give it back." Lord Shen could do nothing but laugh, but Pitch laughed the hardest, so much that they caused the ground to burst open and they all fell in.

Emma was flying around a city of jewels as Pitch's voice echoed like an announcer in a tour guide. "All the fears and all the precious stones in the world are made here in my underground dominions." Emma watched as crystals of deep rainbow hues formed like magically blooming flowers ahead of her, and unformed again around her, to let her pass. "All need for me. By my nightmares." Pitch continued. "So imagine how I feel when someone from the world above disbelieves in me, leaving me all alone in this world! All those children who believe in these Guardians should really believe in me. All I wanted was something to begin with." Emma looked over at the black crystals and nightmarish creatures passing her with their yellow eyes. "You have so much." she muttered. "Beg pardon?" asked Pitch, "You have so much!" Emma shouted. "That is not the point. The point is that I am not the thief. I am an honest man. .."

Suddenly Emma cascaded over a great ledge, borne on the roaring river of emeralds, falling and falling again through a tunnel right into arms of North, then disappeared. "You friend is the thief." Pitch finished at last. Emma looked around to make sure she wasn't seeing anything in her confusion and fright. She was alone. "Where's North?" she asked Pitch. "I transformed him into a beautiful and amusing ornament for Shen's palace. I had been planning to do it for some time, and your coming here reminded me." Emma felt her heart fill up with grief and fury, at the knowledge that she had not saved North, but only caused him worse suffering. She ran to the wall and began to beat against the looming, indestructible being with her fists. "He never stole the silver; it was there when he came."

Shen looked at Emma in a wistful voice. "Now don't you cry, Emma Overland from Burgess. I didn't realize he meant so much to you." Then Emma pleaded. "He didn't steal your silver it was there when he became the leader of the Guardians." Shen placed his hands together. "All is not lost, Emma, I know just the thing to cheer you up." And at that moment, WALL-E, Ventus, Pedro and the rest of the gang came in out of the tunnel. "You and your friends are going to play a little game." said Shen, "and I bet that you'll get North back after all. "You'd risk something for that, wouldn't you?" Emma thought about it for a moment.

* * *

Back at the Silver City, the exhausted Lemons arrived on the porch of the palace. King Candy looked at them from a balcony. "All right, men! Where's-!" before he could say anything else, Queen Elspeth tapped him on the shoulder. "Let me." she said as her small husband walked off the balcony as she took his place. "All right, then! Where's Emma? Where's that hornbill and chicken?" Professor Z gasped for breath, pointing with his right front tire. "Well, they escaped, she got away and she went into Pitch's mountain." Elspeth and Candy soon at each other a moment, then cried. "We have to warn them about those birds!" Then to the Lemons, she said. "Take me to Pitch and Lord Shen, you stupid retards!"

Outside the entrance to a tunnel that seemed endless, Grem and Acer pulled out a wagon to carry Elspeth and Candy to the mountain while the rest of the Lemons found a few other appendages. It was Greco-Roman chariot from the days of Ben-Hur, once pulled by horses as the only way to travel and used in chariot races. "Voilà." Victor Hugo commented as the chariot was finished for the preparation. "Okay, Lemons." Candy announced. "It's all up to you; just go as fast as you can get us to that mountain!" Elspeth held out a bullwhip. "You expect these crappy machines to get us to the mountain as fast as they can? This is the way to do it." She cracked her whip on Ivan the tow truck, "Just for my own purposes." she said in a fakely innocent tone of voice at the other Lemons. At her command they had locked their wheels together and fused themselves into a chain to bear her along. With another crack of the whip, Elspeth shouted, "Hi-ho, Lemons! Away!" And soon they were off into the tunnel. Now, seconds counted and the Lemons could not travel fast enough to suit her. If Lord Shen and Pitch found out about that chicken and the hornbill before she was able to warn them.

* * *

Back at the mountain, the group sat in front of Shen's ornately designed Chinese throne. "You can go and inspect the ornament museum. Each of you has three chances to guess which one is Santa Claus. If you touch the right object and say the word 'Ev' at the same time, Nicholas St. North will be restored and may leave the palace. Sound fair enough?" The nine friends put their heads together. "What else can we do?" EVE wondered. "He and Pitch are _very _powerful sorcerers." Ventus whispered in Emma's left ear. "We are lucky he hasn't turned us into statues." Just when Shen suspected something was up, Emma piped up. "We accept." "Oh good!" Shen clapped his wings together as a door opened leading to a green lit staircase. "Why doesn't the baby airplane go first?" asked Shen. "You could use your wings to touch the objects." Pedro, who disliked being called "baby", muttered to himself. "I should have quit when I was ahead." "Good luck, Pedro." Ventus waved as the door closed behind Pedro. "Shall we have some refreshments while we wait?" Shen asked as a shiny cup of jasmine tea appeared in his left wing.

The next thing you know, Emma, WALL-E, EVE, Ventus, Ren and Stimpy were sitting at a table with six cups of their favorite drinks and on a silver tray, a full house of eatable sugar: three cream cakes and a pair of shortbread. Emma took a bite of the shortbread before Ven asked. "How is it?" "Good." Shen took a swig of his tea. "What is it?" asked Ren "Limestone pie," uttered Shen from behind. "and hot melted silver…or sofa." "Melted silver?" quipped Stimpy. Emma snuck a piece of the pie into Clara mouth from Ven's jacket just as EVE leaned close to Emmar and murmured into her ear. "Shen said something about a risk, what are we risking?" With a crash of thunder and a flash of lightning, the room went black. Pitch who was hiding from behind could almost feel his strength of belief burning up.

"What was that?" asked Ventus. The door opened as Shen announced "Next." Emma saw that Pedro was not in sight. "Where's Pedro?" "He is turned into an ornament" Shen answered for her. "A knick-knack. He failed to guess correctly, so now he is part of my museum." Ventus's twiggy fingers flew to his face, WALL-E and EVE looked shocked and Ren and Stimpy dropped their jaws. "Oh, no!" they said. Emma let out a whine of angst. "But that's not fair!" "You said you were willing to take a risk. Well ... it seems fair to me," replied Lord Shen "and I think that is all that matters." "You did tell us about it." Emma reprimanded. "Well, you didn't ask." Shen chuckled, drinking in her dismay like nectar. "Perhaps you'd prefer to visit my fiery furnace?" He gestured with his left wing. A cloud of flame and smoke belched into the room from somewhere in the seething depths of the earth.

"Next:" Shen continued. "Spiky-head." "Me?!" Ventus' voice cracked as he knew it was his turn. "Being an ornament will probably be hardest on you, Emma,' he said wistfully, 'since you are used to eating and sleeping and other such activities. Since I hardly sleep or eat, I won't miss them." "Don't talk like that, Ven," Emma said fiercely. "We won't become ornaments." But Ven only looked at WALL-E and EVE. "WALL-E and EVE aren't even alive." "I have always valued our life-less-ness," EVE answered. Emma looked at him "Be careful, Ven, Ren, Stimpy." They hugged each other before Emma noticed Clara in Ven's jacket and Zazu in Stimpy's mouth. "You too Clara and Stimpy." 'We're a long way from Connecticut, Emma.' Emma nodded, biting her lip. She looked up at the looming walls of stone that held them prisoner, and thought that they were a long, long way from Connecticut, indeed.

* * *

"Faster! Faster!" Elspeth and Candy rode through the underground passage astride the backs of the yelping Lemons, her dark robes flapping behind her. With Professor Z, Victor Hugo, Grem, Acer, Vladimir Trunkov and Ivan pulling the chariot, they had began to show their flaws, such as engine trouble and having their motors overheat. "Do you hear me?!" Elspeth screamed over the growling and groaning of her lackeys. "FASTER! FASTER!" Cracking her whip a few times more she screeched. "MOVE YOU MISERABLE OLD SHITHEADS!" Candy tensed as he held on to Elspeth's black and orange striped dress; he had never heard his wife swear before.

"I don't hold much hope for Ventus, Ren or Stimpy." said EVE. "He has many excellent qualities but thinking is not one of them." Lord Shen noticed the low rumbling which echoed thorough the room. "Nine guesses left. . . ." he muttered. Since Ren and Stimpy had gone with Ventus, He had given the group eleven guesses instead of three. Emma looked over at the two robots. "Do you need restarting?" she asked. EVE pointed to her left arm "Our think-works could be powered up more." Emma first did the button on WALL-E's arm. "It's too bad they didn't make you so you could power yourself up." she said, to cover her thoughts. "Half the trouble you get into comes from powering down."

Queen Elspeth and King Candy were hurrying across the polished obsidian tunnel, her feathered collar bristling, and the six Lemon pulled chariot flying as fast as it could. "Come on men!" They shouted "HURRY! HURRY!" Then Elspeth cracked her whip again. "FASTER YOU FUCKTARDS!" she screamed at Ivan and Vladimir Trunkov, now she was really going to hit the ceiling if they did not reach him in time.

Pitch could feel the power and strength of being believed in as he knew that Ventus, Ren and Stimpy were transformed into ornaments. "NEXT!" bellowed Lord Shen. "The Army of Amarganth!" "Don't worry, Emma." WALL-E spoke to Emma. "We are going to guess correctly." And with that the two robots left through the doors and closed behind them.

* * *

Emma and Lord Shen were left alone in silence. After another long moment, he said at last, "Why did you come here?" Emma frowned, pushing her lip out. "I told you why." Shen raised his eyebrows. "You came all this way for a Guardian?" he mused skeptically. Emma nodded; she spun around, looking toward the invisible doorway, as another distant roll of thunder sounded. Pitch had appeared from the shadows.

"Are you sure you didn't come back for this?" Emma turned to face him again; in Pitch's right hand was a wooden staff. It was the same staff her brother Jack had used to save her life from the cracking lake. "My brother's staff!" She tried to grab it but Pitch held it back. "No, _my_ staff now. It just fell out of the sky one day. Your brother was so anxious to become king." His mouth quirked. Emma twisted a lock of her hair, feeling as if invisible hands were twisting her stomach the same way. Pitch turned his wrist, admiring the staff like a vain sorcerer in front of a shop mirror. "They are very powerful — they made it possible for me to conquer the Worlds of Wonder so I could be seen. Thank you — "

Boss Wolf appeared suddenly in the wall beside Shen and whispered something into his ear. "The two robots have stopped guessing and are standing very still in the middle of the room." Shen repeated. "Your, uh, robot friends have stopped guessing and are standing perfectly still in the middle of the room." "Their action must have powered down." said Emma. "I powered up their thoughts, but I guess I forgot to do their actions." "Why don't you go and power them up?" Shen said opening the door for Emma. "Then you can stay in and guess for yourself." Emma went to the door and looked down at the green lit staircase leading to the room.

"Emma…" She turned, looking back at Pitch, her eyes wide and her fists clenched. "You don't have to go down there. . . ." She stared at him in disbelief and utter confusion. He smiled, the smile that seemed so reasonable, and hid so much. "I could use you brother's staff and send you home instead." Emma's breath caught. She swallowed the lump in her throat, and said, "What about my friends?" He shrugged. "Forget about them. You can't help them now. When you get back, you'll never think about the Guardians of Childhood again, only me." Emma stared at Pitch at her brother's staff on his right hand. "There's no place like home…" he said, looking up at her from beneath his heavy brows as if he could read her very thoughts. Emma shuddered as she realized how much of an egomaniac Pitch was: doing all of this so he could be believed in, creating fear to rule the entire universe. Turning her back on him, she walked through the curtain of rock and started down the steps.

* * *

**Author's note: Sorry about the swearing bit with Elspeth, I thought it would be more harsh than the usiual "idiots" or "imbeciles" or whatever a villain would call his/her underlings if they prove to be imcompetent.**


	7. The Ornament Rooms

The ornament collection was filled with works of art, utensils, jewelry and gems. Emma tiptoed forward timidly, awestruck, feeling very much like a trespasser in the sepulchral beauty and stillness of Lord Shen's ornament rooms. "WALL-E!" she called and stopped, listening for an answer. She heard only the echo of her voice, then she saw the two robots. "EVE!" she ran over and stopped to notice something. "Why, WALL-E and EVE," she burst out, "you're all powered up! What's the matter? Why did you stop?" "Shh," EVE murmured from beneath her voice box. "It was my way of getting you in here. Pretend that you are powering us up anyway. I have an idea that may save us. WALL-E and I have one guess left, and if we guess incorrectly you'll see what Pitch changes us into, and that may give you a clue. It may help you to guess how he changed North." "What a good idea!" exclaimed Emma, then she turned over to WALL-E, who spoke more then he did earlier. "My steel brains must be damaged," he muttered uncertainly, "because I am having difficulty guessing." Emma threw her arms around him. "Don't cry." she uttered. WALL-E and EVE moved away from her, to stand beside a round marble-topped table. A small yellow porcelain vase sat upon it; they both touched the vase, glancing back at Emma. 'Ready?' EVE said steadily. Emma nodded. "Ev!" They cried. And with that, WALL-E and EVE were gone.

* * *

Pitch could now feel the power and emotion of being believed in surging up. "Emma Overland," he murmured to himself, "you're all that's left." Luckily enough, Elspeth and Candy finally arrived at the entrance to the palace and brought the Lemons to a sliding stop, they approached Boss Wolf. "Open up you son of a-!" she snarled before calming herself to a non-cursing state. "I mean: Tell him this is important!" The Lemons cringed behind her, terrified of the face's wrath — more terrified that it would actually give in and let them all pass inside. Elspeth turned to glare at them, realizing, as she looked back at their hysterical reactions.

Emma hugged herself, feeling cold and lost standing all alone now in the vastness of the chamber. She looked over at a beige Faberge egg and slowly touched it. "Ev." There was a distant roll of thunder and her voice echoed, realizing she made a wrong guess.

In the throne room, Shen looked at Elspeth and Candy with amusement and disgust. "Kneel," he ordered. Elspeth and Candy obeyed. "Lower!" he snapped. Elspeth flattened herself hastily, lying nose-to-nose with her reflection on the black, polished mirror. "LOWER!" Pitch roared, and guffawed as Candy writhed before him, trying to sink into his own body.

Emma touched a crystal piece. "Ev." Her voiced echoed, she knew her second chance was used and she whispered. "One guess left."

Pitch's face lost its mockery, and a frown deepened the crevices between his eyes. "I thought I told you never to use that tunnel unless you had something important for me." Elspeth dared to raise her head. "Emma Overland has come here." "Yes, I know." said Pitch, "You were supposed to bring her to me." "She stole my husband's ruby key and my Powder of Life! And valuable antiques which she made from the sleigh of Nicholas St. North! And she is headed this way with . . . with . . ." Elspeth broke off, as Shen's words finally registered through the rush of her own. "You . . . know . . . ?" Her eyes bulged like the budding horns above them as she suddenly grasped her terrible mistake. They had arrived too late. "We know everything." Pitch smiled. "She is already here…but not for much longer."

Emma closed her eyes, spun in a circle and slowly approached a table…

Elspeth kneeled back down again. "Why didn't you just transform them all right away?" she asked. Shen chuckled and waved his sword. "It's more fun this way."

Emma bumped into the table and kept on going…

"But if she guesses right and finds out that Jack Frost is her brother, that could ruin everything." Pitch's sharp-edged features softened momentarily when he heard her speak that name. "Jack Frost?!" he snarled. "YOU HAVENT LET HIM ESCAPE AS WELL, HAVE YOU?" "No." replied Elspeth and Candy shook his head in return. Shen lowered Pitch back down onto the throne. "Don't bother; there is nothing to worry about."

Emma came to another table and touched a golden owl…

Pitch gave Elspeth, Candy and Shen the final piece of his plot. "Soon there will be no one left who remembers or even believes in the Guardians of Childhood, only me and me alone..."

Emma opened her eyes, putting the golden owl down, she saw a red gem. _It's red like North. _She thought. Closing her eyes once more, she cried, "EV!" in a blaze, Nicholas St. North himself appeared. "Rimsky Korsakov!" he shouted.

The shout echoed into the throne room, Shen soon found out, "Of all such places!" he roared. He glared at Elspeth and Candy.

* * *

As Pitch sat fuming, Emma and North hugged each other. Even though North was the smartest person in the Worlds of Wonder, when Emma had asked him, he had only shaken his head, saying, "I don't even remember what I was, Emma!" "You were red . . ." Emma began. She glanced around them with sudden inspiration. 'You were a ruby! Maybe people from Amarganth turn into silver ornaments.' Each land had its own royal color, and Amarganth's was silver.

Pitch held a destructive ball of dark sand in his hand. "This one is for my daughter!" he shouted, intent on throwing it at Shen. The peacock ducked and the ball hit the cavern as Elspeth and Candy looked on in horror.

Emma and North began searching through the jumble of objects. Then North saw an inkwell. "It's silver!" he gasped.

Pitch closed in on Candy and Elspeth with a monstrous darkness. "You let her escape…" they began to back away.

North showed Emma the inkwell. "It's silver, Emma!" Emma came running up to him. Biting her lip, she touched the inkwell. "EV!" she said quickly, before she lost her nerve. Abruptly Pedro was lying on the shelf before them, sending ornaments crashing to the floor around him. North stared at Pedro in amazement, finding his shape strangely familiar, but Emma interrupted. "Look for silver ornaments! We still have WALL-E, EVE, Ven, Ren, Stimpy, Clara and Zazu to find."

A bell chimed in Lord Shen's chamber. The Nightmare King felt himself reabsorbed into the face of a leering monster, helplessly growing to monstrous size. "PETRIFIED POLYMORPHS!" he bellowed. "I told you this might happen!" Candy grunted to Elspeth. Pitch was now filled with an irreversible frenzy of rage over a combination of his loneliness and desire to be believed in. "You had her and you let her ESCAPE!" he screamed. "It wasn't our fault!" Elspeth wailed, edging away from Pitch, whose now monstrous form seemed to double with each word. "If I had known that you had a daughter instead of those ridiculous Lemons…!" "I'll take care of you two later!" he growled. They turned to run. Pitch gestured with a massive arm, and Elspeth and Candy were suddenly surrounded by a cramped cage that resembled a barred coffin. The whole mountain began to shake and the Lemons retreated. "Help me." Elspeth whimpered as she and Candy held each other with fright.

* * *

Emma, North and Pedro raced from one area to the next. They soon saw that ornaments were quivering on their shelves, one fell from a table and onto the floor with a crash, the whole room was shaking. Cracks appeared and spread like a spiderweb over the floor, the far end of the room and floor began to rupture as something enormous began to push it's way through from below. The lights flickered and went out, replaced by a ruddy volcanic glow. North leaped forward as he saw something black and white plummet from a stand and dove to catch the porcelain vase before it the floor. "Emma!" he called. She was already running to his side. Breathless, she touched the vase and cried "Ev!" Abruptly, Ventus appeared in North's arms, they gaped at each other in surprise. "Stop!" yelled a voice. It was Shen.

"STOP!" Pitch repeated, then finally in voice with Shen that cracked like thunder. "_**STOP!**_"The rage had transformed them both into a living volcano and when he opened his mouth Emma could see dark smoke bellowing from it. Finding her voice again, still hardly believing her eyes, Emma shouted over the roar of flames, "We're not finished guessing! You promised that if we guessed correctly…" "I AM! TIRED OF GAMES!" Pitch boomed, and his voice echoed from the distant parts of his underground kingdom. "I AM TIRED! OF ALL! OF YOU!" Shen in a more indoor voice said. "Why doesn't the little baby plane go first?" Pitch aimed for Pedro, but he missed, then turned his gaze to Ventus. "NEXT! SPIKY…HEAD!"

"No!" screamed Ven and the group of six ran through the room. "Nightmares!" Pitch yelled. "Put a traumatizing fear into them." This way and that way they went, surrounded by a crowd of huge, contorted, black sandy horses and all sorts of creatures emerging from the rocks, until the room itself was transformed into a writhing, living mass of mutating horrors, even Boss Wolf who tried scaring North and Pedro with lurid gestures and expressions, then Pitch's left hand grabbed Ven by his feet. Ren and Stimpy grabbed onto Ven's hands and Pitch was just about to eat them when he heard a familiar clucking sound from Ventus' black and white jacket. "Clara." exclaimed Emma.

Clara was even more frightened as she held on to the jacket. "Oh dear! Oh!" Shen gazed up at the hen, his mouth agape, frozen with surprise and horror. All at once Zazu dropped from Stimpy's mouth and flew. And, teetering on the brink of the jacket, lay the perfect white sphere of an egg. Followed by a short flatulence, the egg tumbled out, following a green colored aroma down into the bottomless pit of Shen's mouth. Too late, his mouth snapped shut, and he swallowed it, letting out a cough of bad breath in Pitch's face. "What…the…heck?" Shen whispered as his eyes turned pale white, he fell to the floor, lifeless. The moaning protest of Boss Wolf grew loud, "He's been poisoned . . . poisoned!"

For an instant, everyone and everything in the room was as still as stone. Then the nightmares disappeared into the walls in a frenzy of panic. "Looks like I finally laid my egg." said Clara as she, Ventus, Ren, Stimpy and Zazu were set gently down on the floor. "But it smelled rather funky." A complex play of indecipherable emotions ran across Pitch's grey features. "Don't . . . you . . . know . . . that rotten eggs . . . can be . . . poison?" For a spirit, the nightmares could even smell his fear. Clara fluttered up out of Ven's jacket, and settled on the floor. "Poison, indeed!" she muttered indignantly. Emma watched Pitch intently, so did North. "Doesn't anyone believe in me?" moaned Pitch, "I believe in you." said Emma, "I'm just not afraid of you…anymore." And just like that, Pitch fell through a black whirlpool by his own darkness. Underneath the puddle, she saw Jack's staff, sticking out from the edge. Emma slowly walked toward it and had the staff that saved her life in her hands.

Soon the rest of the mountain began to crumble, Emma held the staff very tightly. "Hurry, Emma!" Clara pleaded. The lights flared and dimmed again. The glow of deep subterranean fires lit the darkness, as molten rock began to well up from below. Emma stood in between Ventus and North, "I wish all of us from Amarganth to return there safely!" she cried. "And the Silver City and all the people in it to be restored to life!" She was able to wave her brother's wooden staff around three times before smoke and fire closed around her.

* * *

Everything seemed still for a moment, and finally… six of the Princess of Heart were resorted followed by Bunnymund, then Sandy and Tooth returned to their living selves and finally a storyteller. The Lemons had emerged from the tunnel by then, hardly believing that the reign of terror was over. Emma, North, Ventus, Ren, Stimpy, Clara, Zazu and Pedro were on a grassy hillside. Below they could see the Silver City shimmering. There was a whistling, shrieking sound, and Elspeth and Candy appeared in their cage. Emma's wish had brought them back, then she noticed something. "Where are WALL-E and EVE?" "We never found them." North replied.

"Where did you get that?" Clara asked, "Get what?" Pedro rolled his eyes, caught among the points of his right wing was a medal. Ventus picked the medal from his antler and held it up for him to see. The others gathered around, looking on in curiosity. "It must have come from the ornament collection," Pedro said. Everyone stared at the medal and Emma went over to look at it. She swallowed, afraid to speak the word that rose in her throat, for fear that she was wrong, that the medal might be only a medal after all. "Go on, Emma," North urged gently. Emma took a deep breath. "Ev!" she said. Then, suddenly, EVE was standing among them. Her head swiveled a complete three hundred and sixty degrees as she took them all in, along with WALL-E. The brown robot drew himself up and saluted smartly when he saw North, then turned to EVE. "EVE! My thinking must have completely powered down. I don't remember leaving mountain." Then the robots hugged each other as if they would never see one another again. "But it's all right now — everything's all right!" said EVE.


	8. Brother and Sister Together At Last

The citizens of the Worlds of Wonder gathered from miles around in the newly awakened and resplendent Silver City. They gathered there to celebrate its restoration, and the liberation of their land from Pitch and Lord Shen's rule. But most of all, they gathered to hail the return of their heroes. Crowds lined the sparkling emerald- bright streets to watch the royal parade, all dressed in their finest, brightest holiday clothes. Bands played; fireworks exploded across the sky; balloons and flowers were everywhere. Emma sat on top of a cloud made by Sandy with Tooth and her mini-fairies flying around next to North, Bunnymund next to Ventus, Ren and Stimpy welcoming the crowd, WALL-E and EVE polished up for the event, Clara and Zazu on a pillow with the key from before around their necks and finally Elspeth and Candy in their cage pulled by the Lemons like pallbearers.

Soon, they reached the throne, Emma was about to put a crown on North's head, "Wait!" he shouted. Emma drew the crown back. "What's the matter?". North rose slowly from the throne. "I was never meant to be King, Emma," he murmured. "I have the brains for it, but not the heart. Besides, the crown hurts my head and makes it difficult to think." Emma looked at him in surprise. "Well, who is going to rule if you don't?" But who among them was suited to rule them all with understanding and justice — ? North smiled at her. "Stay here and rule over us, Emma." She turned back to him, her eyes wide. "Me?" "Yes!" Bunnymund cried enthusiastically. "Be the Queen of my Warren!" "The second queen of my palace!" Tooth added. The cry was caught up by the watchers, and the crowd began to shout, "Yes . . . Queen of the Worlds of Wonder! Emma! . . . Emma!" Emma stood in silence before them, waiting until they had all grown quiet again. Her heart was so full of feeling that she thought it might burst, and her eyes were bright with tears as she spoke her emotions.

"You're the best friends anyone's ever had." She turned to North. "Now I have to go back." The crowd gave a chorus of "awws." "Mother and Father are probably worried to death by now about me." continued Emma. Clara squawked. "_And _Max?" Emma suddenly remembered. "Oh yes, I forgot. He believes in the Worlds of Wonder. You can tell him all the things that have happened and all the wonderful friends I have." Ven leaned in. "We understand, Emma." "Do you?" She could never tell what was truly hidden behind his smile. "Oh, I wish I could be in both places at the same time!" As she heard the words form in the air between them, Emma looked down suddenly at her right hand. She was still carrying Jack's staff, which seemed to have the power to make any wish come true — "Look!" Clara cried. "In the mirror!" Emma glanced around to see a familiar figure in the mirror behind her. There was a boy— a boy who looked indefinitely familiar to Emma. He was barefoot and wore a beautiful brown robe, a white shirt, brown pants, and he came toward the surface of the mirror, and suddenly Emma knew who it was.

It was her very own brother, Jack, he was also the prisoner in Maurice's clinic, who had been lost in the river, back in Burgess. Emma stopped before the mirror. "Hello . . . Jack." she said shyly. "I was afraid you had drowned." Jack in the mirror smiled, a sad and mysterious smile. For a moment he neither moved nor spoke, standing as still as Emma now stood. At last he said, "Help me step through the glass, Emma." Wonderingly, Emma held out her hand to the surface of the mirror. The reflection's hand stretched to meet her own. And all at once Jack stepped through the glass, as if it were not even there, and into the throne room, now wearing a dark blue hoodie over his shirt and coat. The crowd looked on in wonder, murmuring its amazement as the people of the Worlds of Wonder stared at the two siblings standing side-by-side. Emma pushed back Jack's white hair, "You are so handsome, Jackson." "They call me Jack Frost here now." he replied. "Brother!" Ven shouted from across the room. He fell in Ren and Stimpy's arms. Emma looked at Jack in curiosity and surprise.

Suddenly a voice from the back of the hall called out, "He is Jack Frost! Prince and rightful ruler of the Worlds of Wonder!" The crowd parted, as everyone turned to stare at the speaker. The woman who had spoken was one of the princesses of heart, Tiana, who had until recently been Elspeth's Body Number Four. She stood beside Elspeth and Candy's cage and called out through the crowd, "Vanellope von Schweetz, was Queen of the Worlds of Wonder before the Wizard Merlin came. She sold her royalty — to Candy in exchange for a spell in which the Man in the Moon could use in granting eternal life to someone having recently passed on after serving a simple act of selflessness. But when she realized what he had done, she was so experimental that she killed herself out of remorse." ". . . which was a waste of good spell." Candy muttered disgustedly. The other princesses, whose bodies had shared Elspeth's dark thoughts, and remembered all her evil activities as Queen of Amarganth, gathered around their friend as she went on with her story. "Jack was the subject of the spell, he was destined to be king, but when Pitch Black and Lord Shen promised to make Candy the king of the Silver City with Elspeth having thirty beautiful bodies at his side if they kept Jack a secret, they enchanted him into the mirror." Ventus, who had recovered from his swoon, climbed to his feet and stood beside Jack, holding his hand in his, reunited with his real adoptive sibling at last. Jack's smile was nearly as wide as his own. "I forgive Elspeth," Jack said. "A witch and a short man with no magic is a miserable creature indeed." "That is a fact!" Elspeth said, her voice rueful and her eyes glowering. "At least we still have each other." said Candy with an assuring smile. Everyone else in the room burst into cheers at that, their shouts echoing, "Jack Frost! King of the Worlds of Wonder! Guardian of Fun! Hurray!"

Emma led Jack to the waiting throne that was his by right, the throne on which she had almost seen someone else crowned again as she handed him the wooden staff. Emma curtsied and said quietly, "Now, please wish me back to Burgess." Jack smiled, nodding. "And just so that you won't be lonely anymore: I will look in on you from time to time, and if you ever wish to return to the Worlds of Wonder, I will make it so." "Good-bye, Emma," Clara called, shaking her head as Emma reached out to catch her up. "You're not coming back, Clara?" Emma said, dismayed. "No — " Clara said emphatically. She shook her head until her wattles quivered. "And I must say, Emma my dear, that you are foolish to want to go back into that stupid humdrum world again. Besides, Zazu needs someone to look after." Jack began to wave his staff, "Goodbye, Emma." said Pedro. "Oh no!" Emma cried, as she realized all at once that they had truly reached the time of parting. "I mean ... I didn't expect to go so soon. I haven't really said good-bye yet." Her friends reached out together to touch her lightly in farewell. Hands were all she could see of them now — a soft large hand, a metallic hand ... a rabbit's paw, a hen's wing ... a feathery hand, three human fingers. She gazed at the circle of her friends again; but now a mist seemed to be rising around her, filling the air, making all she saw seem dim and dreamlike. "I love you all!"

* * *

Emma opened her eyes. A tiny twig drifted by, inches from her nose, in the swirling brown water that gurgled and whispered along the shore's edge. She watched it with wonder, as if the whole world were contained in that one tiny bit of wood. She pulled her arm back, hugging it to her body to warm her hand, still moving as if she were in a dream. Her clothing was wet and clammy, but drying now in the sun. She heard the lark sing again, somewhere farther on. And then, even more distant, she heard a dog bark... She was really back in Connecticut. And she recognized that bark: "Max," she whispered. "Max!" she cried, pushing her wet, muddy hair back from her eyes. The barking changed abruptly from curious to joyful, and grew louder and nearer. She saw the reeds and grasses dance along the riverbank, as an eager, invisible body came hurtling toward her through them and when she saw who it was, they hugged each other. Henry burst into the clearing, skidding to a stop as he saw Emma sitting in the grass before him. "Max found me — " Emma murmured, catching her breath, still dazed by the speed. Another figure pushed through the assembled men, and Emma saw Emily hurrying toward her. Her mother threw a warm blanket around her shoulders, then caught Emma and Henry both in a long, loving hug filled with gratitude and thanksgiving. Sitting back on her heels again, Emily covered her mouth with her hands.

Emma looked across the fields and saw what was left of Maurice's clinic. It was just a heap of charred timbers. "The clinic was hit by lightning and it burned to the ground," said Emily. "Everybody was rescued except Maurice. He ran in to rescue his machine." A police van came along, and the officer in the van asked if there was any sign of "the other one." Emma knew the officer was talking about Jack, the tall boy with the brown hair, so she said nothing. "God willing they'll find him too, poor thing," Emily said. The police officer nodded. "Amen." He clucked to his horses, touching his hat again respectfully as he started past. ". . . Morning, all." Emma watched the van pass by. She started suddenly. Sitting in the back of the van, behind bars, was Gothel. She glared darkly, but said nothing as she was taken away. Emma shuddered, watching her go.

Emma sat on her bed with Max in her cosy room, which had been nothing but empty space at the bottom of the house. She looked out to see her father smiling at her and then at the farmhouse, thinking that nobody would miss Clara, as she would be living happily in the Worlds of Wonder. Emma slid down off of her bed and crossed the room to her dresser, looking at the solid, oak-framed mirror on a pivot resting above it. She thought of Jack, gestured a circle and out of it came Jack with Clara behind him in the reflection. "Mama! Come and look!" At last, at last, her mother would be able to see that her brother was alive and well! "What is it, darling?" her mother's voice called calmly. "I'm busy." But as Emma opened her mouth to answer, Jack put a finger to his own lips, smiling, and shook his head gently. "Just a reflection, mother," she called, instead of the answer she had been meaning to give. Her mother appeared in the doorway, wiping her hands on her apron. She couldn't see her deceased son, but looked at the bright beam of light spread across the ceiling, and smiled. "Nice to have your own room, isn't it?" she said. "Put the mirror straight now, that's not for playing." Emma hesitated, uncertain, and then tipped the mirror. She let her hand go as Clara disappeared in the reflection, only Jack was standing. Emily looked at Emma, Max and unknowingly, Jack. "Go on, you two, go out and play. Too nice a day to stay inside." Emma turned to gaze at their mother, filled with more love and joy at the same time than she ever remembered feeling all at once in her life. She hugged her brother as they went outside to play and do all things they did before the frozen lake.

* * *

_Sometimes, as the days and years passed, Emma (followed by her 14__th__ great grandson Jamie Bennett) looked into her mirror and saw Jack looking back at her. As hardly anyone believed in Jack Frost, Emma never told about seeing Jack in the mirror. If she told, Emily might worry. Besides, Emma didn't have to talk about it._ _She had been to the world of the Guardians of Childhood, and everything there was all right!_

* * *

**Cast:**

**Emma Overland Frost (Rise of the Guardians) as Dorothy Gale**

**Maurice (Beauty and the Beast) as Dr. Worley**

**Pitch Black (Rise of the Guardians) as the Nome King**

**Lord Shen (Kung Fu Panda 2) as extra with Nome King**

**Madame Mother Gothel (Tangled) as Nurse Wilson**

**Queen Elspeth (Snow White: The Fairest of Them All (2001)) as Mombi**

**King Candy (Wreck-it-Ralph) as extra with Mombi (Nanda from the books)**

**Jack's Mother (Emily) (Rise of the Guardians) as Aunt Em**

**Jack's Father (Henry) (OC) as Uncle Henry**

**EVE (WALL-E) as Tik-Tok**

**WALL-E (WALL-E) as extra with Tik-Tok**

**Clara Cluck (Disney Shorts) as Billina**

**Zazu (The Lion King) as extra with Billina**

**Ventus (Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep) as Jack Pumpkinhead**

**Ren and Stimpy (The Ren and Stimpy Show) as extras with Pumpkinhead**

**Pedro (Saludos Amigos) as the Gump**

**North (Rise of the Guardians) as the Scarecrow**

**Sandy (Rise of the Guardians) as Cowardly Lion**

**Toothania (Rise of the Guardians) as extra with Lion**

**Bunnymund (Rise of the Guardians) as the Tin Man**

**Jack Frost (Rise of the Guardians) as Ozma**

**Aurora (Sleeping Beauty) as Mombi II**

**Tiana (The Princess and the Frog) as Mombi III**

**Professor Zundapp (Cars 2) as Lead Wheeler**

**Boss Wolf (Kung Fu Panda 2) as Nome Messenger**

**Creeper (The Black Cauldron) as extra with Messenger**

**Grem, Acer, Ivan, Alexander and Victor Hugo, Petrov and Vladimir Trunkov, Tubbs, Petey and Fred Pacer, Tyler and J. Curby Gremlin and Don Crumlin (Cars 2) as Wheelers**

**Max (How The Grinch Stole Christmas) as Toto**


End file.
